Cleaning and disinfecting composition



Patented May 16, 1944 UNITED STATE 5 PATENT OFFICE CLEANING ANDDISINFECTING COMPOSITION Gi'uitlier Endres, Hamburg, Germany; vested inthe Alien Property Custodian No Drawing. Application November 10, 1939,Se-

risags No. 303,897. In Germany December '13,, 1 v p 3 Claims.

It is known that all the usual disinfecting agents such as phenols andthe like are ineffective when introduced into hydrocarbons or intohalogenated hydrocarbons. Thus, in solutions of benzine, carbontetrachloride and the like they no longer exhibit a bactericidal action.This disadvantage is particularly noticeable when garments and the likeare to be chemically cleaned, because it is not possible simultaneouslyto disinfect the garments when cleaning them with benzine,' carbontetrachloride or other fat sol-' vents. A process by which, in additionto the chemical cleaning, the garments and the like are simultaneously,disinfected is of great hygienic importance.

It has now been found that disinfecting agents Another disinfectingagent in accordance with the invention comprises a fat solvent to whicha small quantity of an unsaturated alcohol is added. A furtherdisinfecting agent in accordance with the invention comprises a fatsolvent to which a small quantity of an aromatic alcohol is added.

It has been found that the disinfecting efiect can be still furtherincreased when an agent havlug a bactericidal efiect in the presence ofwater is added in small quantities to the fat solvent in addition to thealcohol preferably methyl alcohol. Thus a small quantity of an alcoholand a small quantity of organic compounds with phenolic hydroxyl-groupscan be added to the fat solvent. Also a small quantity of an alcohol anda small quantity of a mercury compound can be added to the fatsolvent.Again another disinfecting agent in accordance with the inventioncomprises a fat solvent to which a small quantity of an alcohol. and asmall quantity of e. quaternary ammonium compound, having bactericiclalproperties in the presence of water, are added. Again a small quantityof an alcohol and a small quantity of formic acid can be added to thefat solvent. The term fat solvent is used to include also mixture ofdifferent fat solvents,

Example 1 Pieces of cotton wool were immersed in bacterlal suspensionsof Staphylococcus aureus and Bacterium coll and after about hour wereremoved from the suspension and dried at a temperature oi 37 C. The drywool carrying the germs was then immersedin;a'disinfecting agent of thepresent invention. After -120 minutes the wool was removed from thesolution and incubated in a suitable culture solution. After 48 hoursincubation the following results were obtained:

Duration of action 1 v Staphylococcus Y Bacterium 201i 5 so so 120minutes minutes minutes minutes i Q l Benzine 2 Amixture oi benzine and2% methyl alecho] and 0.2% I propyl alcohol In this table:

+-=positive growth of bacteria. -=no growth.

Both kinds of bacteria are, as is well known,

not destroyed by benzine while the cultures from a benzine solutionwhichcontained an addition of 2% methyl alcohol and 0.2% isopropylalcohol were totally destroyed. The same results are obtained with amixture of benzine and 2% methyl alcohol and 1% ethyl alcohol.

Example 2 s s as as.

Benziuc A mixture of benzinc and 2% ethyl alcohol A mixture of benzlne,2% ethyl alcohol and 0.2% corrosive sublimute Carbon tetrachloride Amixture of carbon tetrachloride and 4% methyl alcohol A mixture ofcarbon tetrachloride and 0.4 o of Z-benzyl-i-chlorophenol A in tune ofcarbon tetrachloride, 4%

methyl alcohol and 0.4% 2-benzyl-4- chlorophcnol A mixture of carbontetrachloride, 4%

methyl alcohol and 0.4% quaternary ammonium salt A mixture of carbontetrachloride, 4% methyl alcohol and 0.2% corrosive sublimatey.

Duration of notice.

other disinfecting agent of organic or inorganic origin which iseffective in aqueous solution is added to this mixture the Staphylococciare also destroyed.

As the quaternary salt tor-these experiments there was usedbenzylmethylaminoaceticaciddodecylamidechlormethylate. 01 course anyother amines or ammonia compounds having disinfecting properties can beused.

Example 3 Benzine or trichlorethylene to which 2% methyl alcohol and0.1% formic acid have been added exhibits an excellent bactericidaleffect. Staphylococcus aureus and Bacterium coli were completelydestroyed by-this mixture in one hour using the experimental methodsdescribed.

The invention is of considerable practical importance and enablesmaterials to be effectively disinfected while being chemically cleanedso that

